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Williams, Tom

Publications and source records attributed to Williams, Tom.

15 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

Battery Health Quantification for TDRS Spacecraft by Using Signature Discriminability Measurement

The NASA/GSFC Space Network Project Office (SN) currently operates a constellation of ten geosynchronous TDRS spacecraft launched over the past 30 years. The SN project collects up to 16.5 Gigabytes of telemetry every month. Generally, the spacecraft health and functionality are obtained by the use of real-time telemetry data for the multiple spacecraft subsystems, which are transmitted to the main ground station at the White Sands Complex in Las Cruces, NM. Recently, the SN has instituted a program of Big Data to analyze the large amounts of data using a variety of tools including Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, development of training sets, and a variety of mathematical modeling tools. The goal is to improve spacecraft management and obtain a more accurate prediction of the spacecraft end of life. The combination of these efforts with those of the Aerospace Corporation, which has a contract with the SN to produce yearly reliability estimates for the TDRS fleet, will be performed. This paper presents a new concept called telemetry quality quantification (TQQ) and discusses the progress that has been made in battery performance estimation for the second-generation TDRS spacecraft using a signature discriminability measures (SDM) algorithm combined with the Aerospace Corp. battery life estimation models. This activity is important because many of the TDRS fleet of spacecraft have exceeded their on-orbit design lifetime and, therefore, NASA must carefully manage the spacecraft to continue operations while avoiding an end-of-mission scenario that leaves a non-functioning spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

Ma, Kenneth Y.↗
DOE OSTI2017

DOE-GTO Low Temperture Projects Evaluation and Lessons Learned

This paper discusses opportunities and challenges related to the technical and economic feasibility of developing power generation from geothermal resources at temperatures of 150 degrees C and lower. Insights from projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Geothermal Technologies Office inform these discussions and provide the basis for some lessons learned to help guide decisions by DOE and the industry in further developing this resource. The technical basis for low-temperature geothermal energy is well established and the systems can be economic today in certain situations. However, these applications are far from a 'plug and play' product; successful development today requires a good knowledge of geothermal system design and operation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Low-Temperature Projects of the Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Program: Evaluation and Lessons Learned: Preprint

This paper discusses opportunities and challenges related to the technical and economic feasibility of developing power generation from geothermal resources at temperatures of 150 degrees C and lower. Insights from projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Geothermal Technologies Office inform these discussions and provide the basis for some lessons learned to help guide decisions by DOE and the industry in further developing this resource. The technical basis for low-temperature geothermal energy is well established and the systems can be economic today in certain situations. However, these applications are far from a 'plug and play' product; successful development today requires a good knowledge of geothermal system design and operation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Low-Temperature Projects of the Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Program: Evaluation and Lessons Learned

This paper discusses opportunities and challenges related to the technical and economic feasibility of developing power generation from geothermal resources at temperatures of 150 degrees C and lower. Insights from projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Geothermal Technologies Office inform these discussions and provide the basis for some lessons learned to help guide decisions by DOE and the industry in further developing this resource. The technical basis for low-temperature geothermal energy is well established and the systems can be economic today in certain situations. However, these applications are far from a 'plug and play' product; successful development today requires a good knowledge of geothermal system design and operation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

DOE-GTO Low Temperature Project Case Study

The US Department of Energy (DOE), Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has funded low temperature projects to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of power generation from geothermal resources at temperatures of 150 degrees C and lower. To date three of the funded projects have completed their two year operation phase during which they supplied operating data to the GTO. This paper discusses the operation of two of these plants while they were providing data, including a review of facility performance, as well as an initial economic assessment of each.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

DOE-GTO Low Temperature Project Case Study

The US Department of Energy (DOE), Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has funded low temperature projects to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of power generation from geothermal resources at temperatures of 150°C and lower. To date three of the funded projects have completed their two year operation phase during which they supplied operating data to the GTO. This paper discusses the operation of two of these plants while they were providing data, including a review of facility performance, as well as an initial economic assessment of each.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

GEOTHERMAL / SOLAR HYBRID DESIGNS: USE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FOR CSP FEEDWATER HEATING

This paper examines a hybrid geothermal / solar thermal plant design that uses geothermal energy to provide feedwater heating in a conventional steam-Rankine power cycle deployed by a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. The geothermal energy represents slightly over 10% of the total thermal input to the hybrid plant. The geothermal energy allows power output from the hybrid plant to increase by about 8% relative to a stand-alone CSP plant with the same solar-thermal input. Geothermal energy is converted to electricity at an efficiency of 1.7 to 2.5 times greater than would occur in a stand-alone, binary-cycle geothermal plant using the same geothermal resource. While the design exhibits a clear advantage during hybrid plant operation, the annual advantage of the hybrid versus two stand-alone power plants depends on the total annual operating hours of the hybrid plant. The annual results in this draft paper are preliminary, and further results are expected prior to submission of a final paper.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Progress Report

The briefing objectives are: (1) Explain the SLS current baseline architecture and the SLS block-upgrade approach. (2) Summarize the SLS evolutionary path in relation to the Advanced Booster and Advanced Development NASA Research Announcements.

Williams, Tom↗
NASA NTRS2010

Sabatier Reactor System Integration with Microwave Plasma Methane Pyrolysis Post-Processor for Closed-Loop Hydrogen Recovery

The Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA) designed and developed for the International Space Station (ISS) represents the state-of-the-art in carbon dioxide reduction (CDRe) technology. The CRA produces water and methane by reducing carbon dioxide with hydrogen via the Sabatier reaction. The water is recycled to the Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) and the methane is vented overboard resulting in a net loss of hydrogen. The proximity to earth and the relative ease of logistics resupply from earth allow for a semi-closed system on ISS. However, long-term manned space flight beyond low earth orbit (LEO) dictates a more thoroughly closed-loop system involving significantly higher recovery of hydrogen, and subsequent recovery of oxygen, to minimize costs associated with logistics resupply beyond LEO. The open-loop ISS system for CDRe can be made closed-loop for follow-on missions by further processing methane to recover hydrogen. For this purpose, a process technology has been developed that employs a microwave-generated plasma to reduce methane to hydrogen and acetylene resulting in 75% theoretical recovery of hydrogen. In 2009, a 1-man equivalent Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) was delivered to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for technical evaluation. The PPA has been integrated with a Sabatier Development Unit (SDU). The integrated process configuration incorporates a sorbent bed to eliminate residual carbon dioxide and water vapor in the Sabatier methane product stream before it enters the PPA. This paper provides detailed information on the stand-alone and integrated performance of both the PPA and SDU. Additionally, the integrated test stand design and anticipated future work are discussed.

Abney, Morgan B.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Growing the First Stage of the Ares Launch Vehicles

In accordance with the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration, NASA has been tasked to send human beings to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The Firs t Stage of NASA's new Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle, which will loft the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle into low-Earth orbit early next decade, will consist of a Space Shuttle-derived five-segment Reusable Solid Rocket Booster (RSRB); a pair of similar RSRBs also will be used on the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. This paper will discuss the basis for choosing the First Stage propulsion system; describe the activities the Exploration Launch Projects (ELP) Office is conducting to develop the First Stage; and offer a preview of future development activities including the Ares I-X test flight planned for 2009.

Priskos, Alex↗
NASA NTRS2006

Ares 1 First Stage Design, Development, Test, and Evaluation

The Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is an integral part of NASA s exploration architecture that will provide crew and cargo access to the International Space Station as well as low earth orbit support for lunar missions. Currently in the system definition phase, the CLV is planned to replace the Space Shuttle for crew transport in the post 2010 time frame. It is comprised of a solid rocket booster (SRB) first stage derived from the current Space Shuttle SRB, a liquid oxygen/hydrogen fueled second stage utilizing a derivative of the Apollo upper stage engine for propulsion, and a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) composed of command and service modules. This paper deals with current design, development, test, and evaluation planning for the CLV first stage SRB. Described are the current overall point-of-departure design and booster subsystems, systems engineering approach, and milestone schedule requirements.

Williams, Tom↗